How can we preserve the integrity of sovereign borders while also respecting the dignity of human beings? How should a border -that imaginary line in the sand- be humanely and effectively maintained? And how should we regard "the stranger" in our midst? Ananda Rose holds a doctorate from Harvard University. She is a published poet, journalist, and theologian. Her book, Showdown in the Sonoran Desert, Oxford University Press, was published in June 2012. Rose traveled to the Sonoran desert, a border region where the remains of some 2,000 migrants have been recovered over the past decade. There she interviewed Minutemen, Border Patrol agents, Catholic nuns, humanitarian aid workers, left-wing protestors, ranchers, and many other ordinary citizens of southern Arizona. She discovers two starkly opposed ideological perspectives: that of religious activists who embrace a biblically inspired hospitality that stresses love of strangers and a "borderless" compassion; and that of law enforcement, which insists on safety, security, and strict respect for international borders. MIT Bldg E25-111 45 Carleton St, Cambridge